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System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA 2012)

An introduction

Michael Nagy, UNECE

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What are the main information needs?Informing different policy and indicator frameworks

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• Monitoring Sustainable Development Goals• OECD: Towards Green Growth• European Union: Beyond GDP• Conference of European Statisticians: Set of core Climate Change 

related Indicators• World Bank: Wealth Accounting and the Valuation of Ecosystem 

Services (WAVES)• Etc.

SEEA is considered as an underlying framework by international initiatives

It is a multi-purpose accounting framework

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• How can natural resources be used sustainably? What is the impact of regulatory environmental measures on different economic sectors and households?

• How do ecosystems contribute to the well‐being of people and to the economy?

• Which are the most cost‐efficient measures to improve the state of the environment?

• What are the effects of environmental taxes on the environment and on the economy?

• Etc.

SEEA responds to complex national and international policy questions

Some examples

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Why do we need environment statistics AND environmental-economic accounts?

Integrating environmental and economic information

5Municipal Survey

Administrative records 

Etc. Enterprise surveys

Administrative records

Etc.

Environment Statistics(Water, Air Emissions, Waste, Soil, 

Air Quality,…)

Economic Statistics and National Accounts

(National Accounts, Trade Statistics, etc.)

Environmental Indicators(e.g. CO2 emissions/capita/year)

Economic Indicators(e.g. GDP, value added etc.)

Integration(e.g. 

Environmental‐EconomicAccounts)

Environmental‐EconomicIndicators

(e.g. CO2 emissions/value added)

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FDES is an organising framework• Based on Pressure-State-Response• Good for compiling basic statistics and reporting• Covers most issues of concern• BUT: May risk viewing all human activities as “pressures”

SEEA is an accounting framework• Integrates related statistics into “accounts” (e.g. water, energy, land,

ecosystems)• Links to SNA by using same classifications and methods• Good for compiling integrated indicators (e.g. water intensity of economy) to

assess trade-offs• BUT: covers limited set of issues & less experience

A note on FrameworksFDES and SEEA ideally are used together

6Source: Michael Bordt (UNESCAP)

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Why Environmental-Economic AccountingWhat is it about?

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Statistics• Often developed to answer one particular question or problem.

• Difficult to figure out if all information is included.

• Not always easy to see the whole picture, or how it relates to other things

Why make environmental accounts? Aren’t environmental statistics enough?

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Environmental accounts• Helps to make sense of the larger picture.

• Helps to identify pieces that are missing

• Can make connections to other statistics ‐ especially economic statistics

Why make environmental accounts? Aren’t environmental statistics enough?

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Main concepts of environmental-economic accounting

Similar to FDES, but following accounting principles

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Main concepts of environmental-economic accounting

Environmental Accounting = Expansion of national accounting

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• Values of natural resources not included in the national accounts until they enter the economic system.

• In other words, in the SNA, • A tree has no value until it is cut down. • GDP increases with environmental accidents since economic activity is stimulated. No negatives are included for damage to the environment.

Environmental accounts are satellite accounts to the System of National Accounts (SNA)

What is “wrong” or missing from the SNA?

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Difference between SNA boundary and territory boundary

Main difference is usually international transport

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Residents Non-Residents

National Territory X X

Rest of World X

e.g.EmissionsInventory

GDP Subtract these!

Add these!

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• What about imports and exports? Need to be included since part of national accounts.

• Double counting? Are units counted 2 times?

• Production boundary for national accounts different than for physical data?

• Territorial definition (e.g. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory) vs. economic definition (national accounts)

Need to make the environmental statistics correspond to the national accounts definitions

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See https://seea.un.org/

SEEA Central FrameworkSEEA-CF 2012 – an internationally accepted standard

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• adopted in 2012 as an international statistical standard by the UN Statistical Commission

• already used in 54 countries

• adheres to the principles of the System of National Accounts (SNA)

• provides standard terminology, definitions and classifications for environmental accounting

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See https://seea.un.org/

SEEA and its relation with other standards and guidelines

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What accounts exist in the SEEA-CF?

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Asset accounts

Flow accounts

System of National Accounts

+Activity / purpose accounts

Flow accounts

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• Measured in physical units (for example: tonnes)• Natural resources and Products (for example, water, energy)• Residuals (pollution): emissions to air, water emissions/pollution, waste

• Physical Supply and Use Table (PSUT)• Nature is added into the monetary SUT format• Table 3.1 in SEEA‐CF 2012

1. Physical flow accountsMaterial flows

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1. Physical flow accountsStart with SNA Supply and Use Table (SUT)

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1. Physical flow accountsPhysical Supply and Use Table – extended to include the environment

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1. Physical flow accountsAccounting and balancing identities

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Input‐output identity

Supply and use identity

Flows of materials into an economy must equal the flows of materials out of an economy plus any net additions to stock in the economy.

Within the economy, the amount of a product supplied must also be used with the economy, or exported.

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• Information is already included in the SNA.  Goal is to separate it from the standard accounts to show who is spending how much on environmental protection.

• Economic information about environmental protection activities 

• Supply: Environment industry – environmental goods & services• Demand: environmental protection expenditure by industries and government

• Environmentally related taxes, subsidies and permits

2. Economic accounts- flowsEnv. Protection expenditures, goods and services, policy instruments

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• Same format for both physical and monetary units

• Types of natural resource assets:• Mineral and energy resources

Oil, natural gas, coalMinerals – metallic and non‐metallic

• Timber resources• Aquatic resources

3. Asset accounts in physical and monetary termsGeneral structure

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3. Asset accounts: What are changes in stock?Additions to stock

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Growth in stock

Discoveries of new stock

Upward reappraisals

Reclassifications

Increases in the stock over an accounting period due to growth

Arrival of new resources to a stock through exploration and evaluation

A reassessment due to the use of updated information

Changes because an asset is used for a different purpose

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3. Asset accounts: What are changes in stock?Reductions in stock

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Extractions

Normal reductions

Catastrophic losses

Reclassifications

Physical removal or harvest through a process of production

Expected losses due to natural deaths of biological resources

Large‐scale events that destroy a large number of assets

Occur when an environmental asset is used for a different purpose

Downward reappraisals

Reassessments due to the use of updated information

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• Combined accounts (key: same industry classifications)• Linking physical and national accounts data together• Thereby showing the relationships between economic activity and environmental consequences

• Can be used for analysing industries that are important contributors to pollution 

• Ratio indicators – often used in ‘Green Economy’ indicators• Main data set for analysis purposes – ratio, profiles, decomposition, I‐O… 

NAMEA = National Accounting Matrix including Environmental Accounts

4. Integrated or combined accounts Hybrid or ‘NAMEA’

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Examples for SEEA applications

Example Norway (1/2): «Profile» with output and GHG emissions by industry – who contributes the most

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Example Norway (2/2): Decomposition Analysis – causes of the observed changes from one year to another

Example Australia: Monetary versus physical use of distributed water (% of total use)

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Agriculture

Mining

Manufacturing

Water Supply

Electricity

All other Industries

HouseholdsPhysical use

Monetary use

Modelling Effects of Price Changes:Murray‐Darling River Basin Australia

1% increase WUE

2% increase WUE

Irrigated agriculture -24 78Dryland agriculture -51 -112Food and fibre processing 44 97Other industries 262 410Total impact on GDP 253 521

Increase in GDP, A$million

Based on historical water use & price data, simulated impact on GDP of doubling water prices and the expected increases in water use efficiency (WUE) of 1‐2% 

Netherlands: Measuring green growth

Objective:

• Assess the state of green growth in the Netherlands 

• Benchmark for a more thorough and comprehensive assessment of green growth in the future

• Point of departure: OECD indicators 

• Data availability

• Robustness of indicators

• Relevance for the Netherlands List of 20 relevant indicators

Project was completed in only 2 months

Natural capital in SEEA 33

Group IndicatorEnvironmental

accounts

Environmental and energy

statistics OtherProduction-based greenhouse gas intensity xConsumption-based greenhouse gas xEnergy efficiency xRenewable energy xSurpluses of nutrients xMaterial intensity xW ater use intensity xW aste treatment xStocks of standing timber xFish inputs xNatural gas reserves xLand conversion into built-up land xThreats to biodiversity x

iii Environmental quality of life Pollution induced health problems xGreen patents xShare of green taxes xEnergy prices xCarbon trade xEnvironmental investments xGreen jobs x

iv Policy responses

i Environmental Efficiency

ii Natural asset base

Netherlands: Measuring green growth: SEEA as a data source 

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SEEA 2012 and the SDG IndicatorsUN Statistical Commission recognized SEEA as an important framework for

SDG indicators

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SEEA 2012 and the SDG IndicatorsUN Statistical Commission recognized SEEA as an important framework for

SDG indicators

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•The Statistical Commission “recognized SEEA as an important statistical framework for the post‐2015 development agenda and the sustainable development goals indicators” in 2014. 

•The SNA and SEEA are statistical standards that can be used to monitor a number of environmental‐economic SDG Indicators in an integrated way.  

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SEEA 2012 and the SDG Indicators10 SDG goals are directly related to the environmental pillar

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2 ‐ Agriculture6 ‐Water7 – Energy8 – Economic growth9 – Industrialization

11 ‐ Cities12 ‐ Consumption and production13 ‐ Climate change14 ‐Marine and coastal15 ‐ Ecosystems

>40 indicators of these goals can be informed by SEEASEEA accounts informing more than 3 SDG indicators are:

– Land Accounts– Physical supply and use of energy– Physical supply and use of water– Experimental Ecosystem Accounts– Environmental Protection Expenditures– Material Flow Accounts

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Conclusions: Main take home messageEnvironment Statistics, Environmental-Economic Accounts and environment

related indicator frameworks build upon each other’

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I. Linking SEEA-CF 2012 / FDES 2013 / Green GrowthII. Experimental Ecosystem Accounting

Annexes

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Michael NagyUNECE

Thank you!

Annex I: SEEA‐CF 2012 / FDES 2013 / Green GrowthImplement in coordination!

2.    Environmental Resources and 

their Use

3.  Residuals

4.                   Extreme Events  and Disasters

6.                Environment Protection, 

Management and Engagement

5.                       Human 

Settlements and Environmental 

Health

1.Environmental Conditions and 

Quality

Component 2: Environmental Resources and their Use

Sub‐component 2.1: Non‐energy Mineral ResourcesSub‐component 2.2: Energy ResourcesSub‐component 2.3: LandSub‐component 2.4: Soil ResourcesSub‐component 2.5: Biological ResourcesSub‐component 2.6: Water Resources

Component 3: Residuals

Sub‐component 3.1: Emissions to Air

Sub‐component 3.2: Generation and Management of Wastewater

Sub‐component 3.3: Generation and Management of Waste

Asset Accounts

FlowAccounts

Component 6: Environment Protection, Management and Engagement

Sub‐component 6.1: Environment Protection and Resource Management Expenditure

Sub‐component 6.2: Environmental Governance and Regulation

Sub‐Component 6.3: Extreme Event Preparedness and Disaster Management

Sub‐component 6.4: Environmental Information and Awareness

OECD: Green Growth Indicatorshttp://www.oecd.org/greengrowth/greengrowthindicators.htm

Measurement Framework for Green Growth

SEEA‐CF 2012, FDES 2013, Green GrowthOECD Green Growth Categories / Potential Indicators

FDES Related to SEEA‐CF

Environmental Quality of Life

Urban air quality or exposure to particulates1.3.1 Air Quality or

3.1 Emissions to AirPhysical Flows

Consider other potential topics such as:

• Health statistics related to air pollution? 

• Access to clean water, sewage treatment, waste treatment

• Noise, volume of traffic (proxy for noise)

5.2 Environmental Health

5.1.2 Access to

water, sanitation

3.3.2 Mgmt of waste

1.3.5 Noise

Physical Flows

Monitoring economic opportunities and policy responses

“Core” Environment Industry – ISIC Section E: by 2‐digits6 Environment Protection, 

Mgmt & EngagementMonetary Flow

Environmental Taxes (Government Revenue)6.2.2 Environmental regulation 

and instrumentsMonetary Flow

Government Expenditure (COFOG 05)

6.1.1 Government

Environment protection 

expenditure

Monetary Flow

2.    Environmental Resources and 

their Use

3.  Residuals

4.                   Extreme Events  and Disasters

6.                Environment Protection, 

Management and Engagement

5.                       Human 

Settlements and Environmental 

Health

1.Environmental Conditions and 

Quality

OECD Green Growth Categories / Potential IndicatorsFDES Related to SEEA‐CF

Monitoring the Natural Asset Base

Copper sub‐soil assets (reserves – in physical units)2.1.1 Stocks and changes of non‐

energy mineral resourcesAsset Accounts

Coal sub‐soil assets (reserves – in physical units)2.2.1 Stocks and changes of mineral 

energy resourcesAsset Accounts

Natural Protection Areas – by type of protection 1.2.3 Biodiversity 

Disasters4.1 Natural Extreme Events and 

Disasters

Threatened species 1.2.2 Ecosystems 

Grazing / over‐grazing of pasture land 2.5 Biological Resources

Hunting permits / poaching 2.5.5 Wild, uncultivated biological 

resources

2.    Environmental Resources and 

their Use

3.  Residuals

4.                   Extreme Events  and Disasters

6.                Environment Protection, 

Management and Engagement

5.                       Human 

Settlements and Environmental 

Health

1.Environmental Conditions and 

Quality

SEEA‐CF 2012, FDES 2013, Green Growth

Annex II: Experimental EcosystemAccounting

Why ecosystem accounts?To better understand:

• The impacts of ecosystem change on people

• Potential response options (mitigate, adapt)

• The effects, and cost/benefit ratio of response options

(Provisioning, regulating, cultural)

SEEA‐Experimental Ecosystem Accounting ‐ Background

• Complements SEEA Central Framework with focus on ecosystems perspective

• Developed as part of broader process of revising SEEA 2003• “Experimental” because significant  methodological  challenges remain and further testing of concepts needed

Relationship to SEEA Central Framework• Extends range of flows  (production  boundary) for accounting compared to SNA and SEEA in physical and monetary terms

• Many flows from Central Framework also included in Experimental Ecosystem Accounting  (e.g. flows of timber), but  extension of EEA is to attribute flows to spatial areas

• Some Central Framework natural input flows are excluded  from Experimental Ecosystem Accounting (e.g.  mineral and energy resources)

Ecosystem account example 1/3

Ecosystem account example 2/3

Ecosystem account example 3/3